Table of Contents

Tatters

Ships that sail off the edge of the world map tend to never be seen again. The reason for this is very simple: the ship has encountered and been lost in the Tatters.

The Tatters are a region surrounding the Archipelago where reality begins to break down. Reality will begin to waver as though it were a torn piece of fabric blowing around in some unseen wind.

From a distance, this appears to be energetic waves flowing through the ocean, but a canny observer will notice during sunrise or sunset that the sky is doing so, as well.

When one gets closer, the effect becomes more obvious, as these reality waves roll through the observer's body. Sadly, by this point, it's already too late to escape, as the energy this imparts to objects pulls them further and further out into the Tatters.

The Tatters are the result of how the Archipelago was formed. When the various islands were forcibly torn from the Prime Material Plane and placed into this Demi-Plane, the fabric of reality was badly torn along the edges. Where the islands come together, this is imperceptible (unless one looks at the ocean floor). However, on the outer edges, no attempt was made to repair the damage. The loose edges blow in an Ethereal wind, creating a region of undulating reality.

The Ethereal Plane begins to mix with the material plane in the Tatters, creating a number of unusual effects.

It is possible to encounter islands unknown to the inhabitants of the Archipelago within the Tatters. There are a few difficult to reach islands that move about at the edges. Each is surrounded by about ten miles of safe, stable reality.

Conditions

All of the following begins to happen as soon as the reality waves described above become visible in the distance.

Proto-matter exists in a stable state here, as though on the Deep Ethereal.

All Illusory characters will unconsciously gather proto-matter to their bodies and become real for the duration.

Roll 3d whenever an illusion spell is cast. On 6 or less, they become Illusory. If they're illusions of people, then they also gain independence.

The Border Ethereal begins to regularly collide with reality.

On any given turn where insubstantial matter and regular matter might interact, roll 3d.

On 10 or less, regular matter can touch insubstantial matter if desired, but not vice-versa.

On 11 or higher, insubstantial matter can touch regular matter if desired, but not vice-versa.

Poltergeists and other generally harmless spirits can be quite a bit more dangerous because of this.

Ships that venture past the very beginning of the Tatters will be drawn outward at increasing speed until they're hurled into the Deep Ethereal.

This should be treated like a powerful ocean current for purposes of resisting it's effects, but the same effect also draws the air outward.

Trying to buck this current from the outside in order to enter the Demi-Plane is a foolish waste of time for almost everyone. Only the inhabitants of the Moon actually know how to do this.

Islands in the Tatters

There is no reliable way to reach these islands. Teleportation magic will likely drop the traveler directly in the Tatters, as the island won't be where it was before. Such magic works locally, once the island has been reached, but causes similar problems when trying to leave. Travelers lost at sea will occasionally wash up on the shore of these islands.

Avonleigh - This is a small, abandoned island containing a haunted mansion with a tragic history.